Hyperoptic relaunches brand with commitment to customer experience as research shows broadband users dread dealing with customer service

Hyperoptic is relaunching its brand with an increased focus on setting itself apart through five-star customer experience, as research reveals the poor service that UK broadband users are putting up with.

The thought of speaking to their broadband provider left nearly a third of people (29.9%) either feeling ‘dread’, or ‘frustration’ at how difficult it is to get in touch with a real person, according to new research by Hyperoptic, the full fibre alternative broadband provider.

More than a quarter of people are left furious, upset or confused by speaking to the customer services of their broadband provider.

In line with that, more than a third of people (38.5%) believe that the UK’s broadband providers offer the worst customer service of any industry.

But despite nearly two thirds of respondents (60%) saying that bad customer service would make them change their broadband provider, almost a quarter (23%) have never switched, and 30% say they want to but it’s too time consuming or too much hassle. 22% said they would switch, but they know their current provider would make it hard for them to leave.

30% said they believe their broadband provider doesn’t care about them.

Hyperoptic’s Founder and CEO Dana Tobak said: “The customer experience offered by most broadband providers is mediocre at best and extremely poor at worst, and people are just putting up with it. Nearly a third of the people we spoke to said their broadband provider doesn’t care about them, yet they continue to put up with it.

“They don’t know that there is a better option available.

“As the original broadband market disruptor and the first to deliver gigabit broadband to the UK, we’re now setting out to disrupt the customer experience status quo, showing people how broadband should be done.”

More than a third (39.5%) of those unhappy with the service from their current provider say it’s difficult to get through to a real person, while 39.3% say they are passed around to different people. However, just 5% of those customers are in the process of making a switch, and 23% have never switched.

The majority of those disgruntled with their provider’s service (80%) have considered switching but say it isn’t on their list of priorities, it’s too much hassle, or it’s too time consuming.

The findings come as Hyperoptic relaunches its brand with a renewed focus on its customer commitments, presenting a welcome alternative to providers that offer poor customer service, lack of transparent pricing and unreliable network connectivity. The launch includes Hyperoptic’s latest TV campaign, which promises being ‘hyper reliable and hyper serious about service’.

Lutfu Kitapci, Hyperoptic’s Chief Customer Officer, said: “In your corner. That’s how we want our customers to feel about us: Hyperoptic cares about me. Hyperoptic has got my back. I can rely on Hyperoptic. Our new brand platform and campaign that we’ve launched today shines a light on Hyperoptic’s commitment to our customers.

“We want customers to know that we’re serious about showing there’s a better way to do broadband.”

To address customer experience issues in broadband, Hyperoptic’s ‘In your corner’ brand will focus on four key areas:

· Reliability – with a gigabit full fibre network that’s available 99.9% of the time, and a customer service team that does what it says

· Fairness – with a competitor price match guarantee for new joiners, and access to the same prices as new customers on renewal

· Simplicity – with a commitment to let customers leave with no charges if they don’t love the service within 30 days, and access to a dedicated Hypercare rep to manage your switch

· And service – with customer service teams available to speak to 24/7, 365 days a year, and more five-star Trustpilot reviews than Virgin, BT and Sky combined